Feeling Like a Fraud at Work? What Imposter Syndrome Looks Like in High-Achieving Women
If you regularly feel like a fraud at work even though your results say otherwise, you may be dealing with imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is persistent self-doubt about your own competence despite clear evidence that you are capable. You know you have it when you discount your wins, credit luck or timing instead of your skill, and quietly worry that someone is going to figure out you do not belong. It is not a personality flaw, and it is especially common among high-achieving women.
What is imposter syndrome, exactly?
Imposter syndrome is the ongoing experience of doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud, even when you are succeeding. It is not an official diagnosis. It is a pattern of thinking that researchers first described in the late 1970s, and it shows up most often in capable, driven people.
The contradiction is the whole problem. The evidence says you are good at your job. Your internal experience says you are one mistake away from being exposed. Those two things do not match, and living in that gap is exhausting.
How do I know if I have imposter syndrome?
Most people with imposter syndrome recognize a few of these patterns in themselves:
You credit your success to luck, timing, or help from others instead of your own ability
You worry that colleagues or leadership will eventually realize you are not as capable as they think
You downplay compliments and struggle to take in positive feedback
You hold yourself to standards you would never expect of anyone else
You over-prepare or overwork to avoid being caught off guard
A single mistake can feel like proof that you never deserved the role
You avoid new opportunities because you are afraid of being found out
If several of these feel familiar, you are not alone, and you are not actually a fraud. These are the common signs of imposter syndrome, not evidence that the self-doubt is accurate.
Why does this hit high-achieving women so hard?
Imposter syndrome shows up across all kinds of people, but research and clinical experience both point to it being especially common in high-achieving women. Part of it is environment. Women in leadership, in male-dominated fields, or in their first executive role often have fewer people who look like them in the room, which makes "do I belong here" a louder question.
Part of it is conditioning. Many women are taught early to be modest about achievement, to share credit, and to read a room before speaking up. Those are good instincts socially, but at work they can quietly turn into discounting your own contributions.
And part of it is the stakes. When you feel like you are representing more than just yourself, every mistake feels heavier. That pressure feeds the fraud feeling, even when your track record is strong.
What imposter syndrome looks like for Long Beach professionals
Empower Mental Fitness sits inside 1 World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach, in the middle of the city's professional and business community. Rena Trujillo, LCSW, works with high-achieving women across Long Beach, including executives, founders, and professionals who look successful from the outside and feel like they are barely holding it together on the inside.
It might be the attorney who still feels like a first-year associate before every big meeting. The director who reads every email three times before sending. The founder who cannot enjoy a good quarter because she is already bracing for the next problem. Different roles, same internal pattern.
How therapy helps with imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is not a disorder you need to be cured of, but the self-doubt, anxiety, and perfectionism that come with it can absolutely be worked on. That is where therapy comes in.
Rena takes a process-based approach. Rather than handing you a list of affirmations, she works with you to understand where the fraud feeling came from, what keeps it running, and how it shows up in your specific work life. From there, the work is about building a more accurate and steady sense of your own competence, learning to take in evidence instead of deflecting it, and easing the perfectionism and overworking that imposter syndrome tends to drive.
For Long Beach professionals, sessions are available in person at the World Trade Center office, with telehealth throughout California for the weeks when your calendar will not allow a commute. You can learn more about Rena's background and approach on the about page, or read about her work with professionals on the executive career counseling page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is imposter syndrome a mental illness?
No. Imposter syndrome is not a mental illness and it is not a formal diagnosis. It is a recognized pattern of self-doubt and is very common, especially among high achievers. That said, it often travels alongside anxiety, perfectionism, or low self-worth, and those are things a licensed therapist can help you work through.
Why is imposter syndrome more common in women?
Imposter syndrome affects people of all genders, but it tends to show up more in women, particularly high-achieving women in leadership or male-dominated fields. Common factors include being underrepresented in senior roles, social conditioning around modesty and sharing credit, and the added pressure that comes with feeling like you represent more than just yourself.
Can therapy help with imposter syndrome?
Yes. While imposter syndrome is not a diagnosis, therapy can help with the self-doubt, anxiety, and perfectionism connected to it. A therapist can help you understand where the pattern started, build a more accurate view of your own abilities, and reduce the overworking and fear of being found out that often come with it. Many people find even a few sessions help them see themselves more clearly.
Ready to feel like you belong in the room?
You have the resume, the results, and the role. The missing piece is believing that you earned them. If the fraud feeling has been following you to work, therapy can help you close the gap between what you have achieved and what you let yourself feel.
To get started, call or text Rena Trujillo, LCSW, at (818) 583-7269, or reach out through the contact page. Sessions are available in person at the World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach, with telehealth throughout California.
